Washing machine having a nonrigid container



May 13, 1952 H. J. RAND 2,596,791

WASHING MACHINE HAVING A NONRIGID CONTAINER Filed Dec. 2'7, 1946 INVENTOR HENRY J. RAND ATTORNEYS Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE WASHING MACHINE HAVING A NONRIGID CONTAINER Application December 27, 1946, Serial No. 718,650

This invention relates to washing machines, particularly the type used in washing clothes and similar fabrics.

Washing machines for fabric materials depend fundamentally on a principle of agitating a container or contents of the fabrics in water. The agitation of the container or contents produces sufficient movement of the water and fabrics therein so as to remove the dirt. Washing machines popularly and commercially in use heretofore have comprised a rigid container usually of metal and a number of different ways have been used to agitate the contents thereof.

In copending application Serial No. 689,571, now Patent Number 2,499,162, I have disclosed and claimed a washing machine having a flexible bag as the container of water and material to be washed. The flexible bag is suspended within a suitable frame and may be jounced about, distorting the shape of the bag considerably by any of a number of means, one of which, as disclosed in the above mentioned application, is a suitable rod mounted so as to have an eccentric movement.

It has been found that often the contents of the container gather in a ball-like fashion in being jounced around within the bag. It is desirable that this ball of material being washed be loosened so that the contents of various pieces of material are jounced about in an irregular manner and all surfaces thoroughly exposed to the water.

It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide a washing machine in which the container is flexible and in which there are means of preventing the contents which are being washed from gathering or bunching together in a ball-like fashion.

Clothes which are washed have to be dried. The drying operation has always been a. considerable problem when connected with the washing machine. In copending application Serial No. 682,322, now Patent No. 2,472,682, I

have'disclosed a washing machine comprising a container and a perforated agitator mounted therein. About the inner walls of the container there is a flexible lining or diaphragm. Means are provided for removing air andwater from within the container so that the flexible diaphragm draws inwardly, pressing tightly against the perforated agitator. The materials being washed are dried by this pressing operation. a

The above and other former methods of drying the fabrics within the machine, are ,not ap- Claims. (01. 6821) plicable to a washing machine with a flexible bag as the container. It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a means of drying the contents within a flexible bag container.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a washing machine comprising a flexible bag container and a thin flexible diaphragm which, through the action of atmospheric pressure on the outside when water and air is drawn out of the container will suitably press the contents which have been washed so as to squeeze out the water remaining.

Further objects will be apparent after a study of the following description, claims and drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatical side view of the washing machine in accordance with this invention illustrating the flexible container suitably mounted within a frame during the washing operation; and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatical view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the drying operation.

Referring now in greater detail to Figure 1, there is illustrated a flexible bag H suitably suspended within a frame 12. The flexible bag II is the container in which the water and materials to be washed are placed through an opening l3 provided at the top thereof. In accordance with the principles described in more detail in copending application Serial No. 689,571, the flexible container l l is jounced about having the shape thereof considerably distorted by the action of a bar l4 which may have one end thereof pivotally mounted at one side of the container and the other end thereof attached to the periphery of a suitable drive wheel. The eccentric movement of the bar l4 caused by the rotation of the drive wheel will cause the container l l to move up and down and back and forth, thus agitating to a considerable degree the contents thereof. The resultant motion provides the washing action required.

In order that the' material which is being washed may not bunch together I have found that the provision of fins and protruding fingers along the inner walls of the container keeps the various pieces well separated. For this purpose thin fins I 5 can be attached along the lower side of the bag H running longitudinally thereof so as to extend from the side of bag ll inwardly to the center. Any number of fins may be provided as desired, and these may be attached circumferentially about the inner wall of the container I l as illustrated in Figural.

The fins I should have a fair amount of rigidity or stiffness so as to provide an action which will tend to keep separated the various pieces of material being washed and prevent their gathering together. A certain amount of flexibility is preferable, however, so as not to disturb the flexible qualities of the container II and the resultant distortion in shape thereof when jounced about by eccentric motion of the bar I4.

As an additional aid in preventing the clothing or other pieces of material being washed from gathering in a ball-like fashion during the washing operation, I have provided a plurality of inwardly protruding prongs or fingers I6 along the lower inside layer of the flexible bag Ii. These prongs or fingers It should, again, have a sufiicient firmness or stiffness so as to effectively prevent the various pieces of material being washed from gathering together, and they extend upwardly from the bottom of the bag II a short distance, that is, preferably a matter of inches. They may be attached in any suit able manner such as for instance a common base secured to the bottom of the bag, and are preferably attached at a point corresponding to the point of contact between the agitating bar I4 and the flexible bag II.

It has been found that during the operation of the washing machine in accordance with this invention the agitating bar I4 while moving eccentrically does not slide or move with respect to the point of contact with the bag II. When the prongs or fingers I6 are mounted within bag II at the point where the bag makes contact with the bar I4, the fingers I6 move back and forth and up and down within the container with respect to the top and upper sides thereof. They thus provide a suitable prodding action against the body of the material being washed which tends to break up any balllike formation thereof and keep the various pieces of material satisfactorily separated.

The combined action of the fins I5 and the prongs I6 have been found to be satisfactory in keeping the various pieces of contents separat ed within the container. It may be found, however, in some instances, that either the fins I5 or the prongs It may be provided without the other and satisfactory operation be obtained. Also, it will be apparent that the particular location of the fins and prongs is not critical and may be varied as desired.

Again referring carefully to the drawings, it may be seen that the flexible container II has a second opening I! at the lower end thereof connected with a pipe I8 through which water and air may be pumped in and out of the container.

The opening I! is located preferably along the bottom of the container so that all the water may be drawn out without any remaining in pockets or folds.

After the water has been drawn out the air may be pumped out of the container by means of a suitable pump or compressor. The particular arrangement which I have found to be satisfactory for pumping water and air out of the container has been described in detail in copending application No. 682,322. Briefly the arrangement is as follows:

Two pipes I9 and 20 provide hot and cold water which may be mixed within the mixer 2|. The pumping is accomplished by the pump or compressor 22. The mixer, pump and washing ma- 4 chine are connected through a series of valves 23, 24, 25 and 26.

In operation, after the clothes have been washed, valves 24 and 25 are opened and valves 23 and 25 are closed. The Water within the container II will then flow through pipe I8, valve 24, through pump '22 and out through valve 26 and the outlet pipe 21.

After the water has been drawn completely from the container II, the pump or compressor 22 continues to operate so as to pull the air from the inside of the flexible container and create a vacuum therein.

In place of the usual rigid cover for the container II I have provided a large flexible diaphragm 28. As may be seen in Figure 1, this large flexible diaphragm 2B folds over outside of the machine during the Washing operation. When the air and water have been drawn out atmospheric pressure will cause the flexible diaphragm 28 to be drawn down'inside the container II, as seen in Figure 2. As the pump 22 continues to draw the air from within the container I I, the pressure on the outside of the diaphragm 28 will increase so that considerable pressure is exerted by the diaphragm 23 squeezing the contents of the flexible container I I.

At the same time, since the container II is flexible, considerable atmospheric pressure will force inwardly the sides thereof providing additional pressure on the contents thereof. This operation will force the water out of the materials being washed so that they reach the damp-dry stage.

A suitable strainer must of course be provided across the mouth of the opening I'I so that water and air will pass therethrough but not the materials which are being washed.

After the clothes have been dried by this stage, air may be permitted to enter the flexible container I I by opening valves 25 and 26 and closing valves 23 and 24. When the pressure or vacuum has been removed, the flexible diaphragm 28 which provides the cover for the container I I may be removed from the machine.

It will be apparent that, if desired, the entire washing, rinsing and drying operation may be made automatic. Thus a clock and contact washing arrangement (not shown), may be used to operate the valves in any desired time cycles. The mechanism for'this purpose is Well known.

Thus after the materials to be washed have been placed within the container II, water may be admitted to the container, by operation of suitable valves, for the soaking operation. The soaking water may then be drawn out and new water pumped into the machine and soap added and the washing motor started. The washing operation is accomplished by the operation of the flexible container II, as described previously. After the washing operation, the water may again be drawn out and rinsing water may be pumped into the container. As many rinsing operations may be performed as desired. After the last rinsing operation the clothes are dried as explained above.

It will be apparent that a number of modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising a flexible container, means for distorting the shape of said container thereby producing a washing action, means attached to the inner surface of said container for preventing the materials being washed from gathering together in ball-like fashion, means for withdrawing water and air from within the container after the washing operation, and means for subjecting the washed materials to considerable pressure thereby removing the water absorbed by said materials. J

2. A washing machine for laundry comprising a non-rigid container, said container having flexible walls of extent suflicient to substantially wholly surround said laundry, an agitating member contacting the outer surface of a wall oi said container for distorting the same thereby inducin a washing action within said container; fins attached to the inner surface of said container for preventing the materials being washed: from gathering together in ball-like fashion, and means for producing a near vacuum within said container whereby the atmospheric pressure on the outside thereof causes collapsing of the walls of said container around said laundry to cause said laundry to be squeezed damp dry.

3. A washing machine comprising a flexible bag having flexible walls of extent to serve as a container tor and to substantially surround materials to be washed, means for distorting the shape of said container thereby inducing a washing action, means to prevent the materials being washed from gathering together in ball-like fashion comprising longitudinal projections extending inwardly of said flexible walls of the container, pumping means connected with said container for removing water and air from within the container and providing a near vacuum in said container thereby collapsing said flexible walls on said container onto said material to exert a squeezing action for removal of washing liquid.

4. A washing machine comprising a flexible container, means for agitating and distorting said container thereby producing a washing action, said container having means for squeeze drying the laundry comprising a large flexible diaphragm covering the opening of said container and extending inwardly so as to cooperate with said flexible container in producing pressure on said materials, said container having longitudinal projections extending interiorly thereof to distribute and agitate said laundry, and means for removing the water and air from within the container after the washing operation whereby said diaphragm exerts a squeezing action on the materials washed due to atmospheric pressure.

5. A washing machine comprising a flexible container, means for distorting the shape of said container thereby producing a washing action, means attached to the inner surface of said container for preventing the materials being washed from gathering together in ball-like fashion, means for withdrawing water and air from within the container after the washing operation, and means for subjecting the washed materials to considerable pressure, said last named means comprising a flexible diaphragm covering the opening of said container whereby said diaphragm exerts a squeezing action on the materials washed due to atmospheric pressure upon removal of water and air from within the container.

HENRY J. RAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,488,414 Vail Mar. 25, 1924 2,078,707 Braunschweig July21, 1936 2,417,998 Wales Mar. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 319,352 Great Britain July 10, 1930 660,964 Germany Apr. 29, 1936 808,409 France Nov. 14, 1936 

